Monday, March 15, 2010

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams went to watch signee Harrison Barnes win a high school state championship in Iowa over the weekend, and constantly had to avert his eyes from the television showing college teams qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

"I've been like a spoiled little brat, I've taken my ball and gone home,'" Williams said Monday. "I haven't watched one play. And it's the most unusual feeling I've ever had; it's a feeling I never want to experience again. It's painful, it's frustrating ... my first year, we were not eligible to go. And since then, in our mind, there was ever any doubt we were in."

This year, however, the Tar Heels were relegated to the NIT after a 16-16 finish; they will play William & Mary on Tuesday night. Hosting a game came as a surprise to Williams, and the fact that his team is still playing pleases him. But it doesn't take much of the string out of failing to make the NCAA touranament, especially after winning the national title last year.

"It was a fantastic 20-year run, and I'm ticked off that it was overwith,'' he said. "So I haven't been a very good basketball fan. My wife even left, said she wasn't hanging around; she went to see the grandbaby. She got tired of me going around and kicking the furniture and everything."

PLAYING FOR NOW: After such a disappointing season, it might be tempting for Williams to use the NIT to start preparing solely for next season.

However, "I'm playing for this year,'' Williams said. "I don't think I can cheat Deon [Thompson] and Marcus [Ginyard, who are seniors], that's not fair. When you run a program instead of just coaching a team, you're always thinking about the future and how your decisions affect that, I'm not throwing that out the window.

"But I'm coaching for this year, and trying to get this team to win one more game. And if I can to that, I'll try to get them to win one more game. And that's the best way I can do it."

DAVIS STILL OUT: Sophomore Ed Davis, who broke his left wrist mid-way through the season, was scheduled to meet with doctors again this week. But even if UNC makes a deep NIT run, Williams doesn't expect the forward to play again this season.

"He's beeen in a cast for six weeks, and it happens to be his left hand,'' Williams said. "So I don't think there's any way ... but am I going to say it's 100 percent? No. But in my mind, it is."

WEAR'S SURGERY A SUCCESS: Freshman forward David Wear had successful surgery on his left hip last week. Right now, Williams said, the player is on crutches and is wearing a protective brace around his hip, so not to put too much weight on it. "Everybody feels great about the surgery, and for sure, he's not going to play for three months," Williams said.

TICKET SALE: Williams said he's excited about playing at Carmichael Arena, where the Tar Heels played before the Smith Center (which is currently undergoing renovations to its offices) was built.

"I'm going to enjoy it,'' he said. "I hope we sell the tickets. I hope we fill it up. I think that would really help a great deal to have a great atmosphere in there, because I used to think it was the best, it was so loud. ... I know it's 9:30 on Thursday night, I know it's the NIT, but I hope our people will come and help fill it up."

UNC dropped the price of NIT tickets from $40 to $20 because of the late tip.

Really poor choice of words as Roy's own "I've been a brat" part of the sentence will be the only four words remembered and probably used over and over against him in the media and by competing coaches in recruiting struggles. Thinking about the NCAA tournament in 2008 and now in 2010, Roy probably also wonders if he should have ever left Kansas. No doubt, his current whirlwind of coaching problems at UNC would make Dorothy and Toto, of Wizard of Oz, ready allies in his fantasy-driven world.

You must be a State graduate, because you are an idiot. His comment was about being spoiled like a brat. Key word is spoiled. He is also referencing the fact that he has been humbled by the outcome of the season.

I know analogies can sometime confuse the less intelligent, but man; does he have to dumb it down any further?

You're a moron. The guy has only won two championships and been to three Final Fours in the seven seasons he's been in Chapel Hill. No other school in the ACC has even been to an Elite Eight since 2004.

the guy is a sore loser. i understand its your goal to reach the tournament every year, and if you dont then you feel you failed. but you also have to be realistic, youre going to have down years. it happens to the best programs. quit crying and get over it. no one likes a spoiled brat.

HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAA. I am so glad Roy cannot run off to Haiti to play golf and escap the misery....but rather HAS to make an appearance at the NIT. The suffering continues for he and his team of Burger King Americans!! This means so much to ABC'ers. The fun continues.

It reflects the feelings of current fans who have followed UNC for up to 40+ years. However, most of us realize that "stuff happens", and that next year, or the next, things will work out for the team.Individual narcissism plus formation of cliques served as disservice to the program. An examination of televised film would show, e.g., a player saying "Bull...." after leaving a time-out huddle, plus other instances of lack of commoweal.

Now I understand why Roy had his arm in a sling early in the season, it was from patting his own back after the NC. I guess that he will soon be on crutches from kicking his own 'dadgum' *** so much. I know that many of us would stand in line to take a shot at that....especially after the coaching job he did this year. Where can we sign up? He is so self effacing that he can't see that it all starts with COACHING and TEACHING. He recruited the team didn't he? Maybe we should make Doherty recruit all of his players, then someone else can take the blame! Stop the freakin' whining!

Narcissism, 10:38? Is that when you think you're important enough to determine what a paying fan can and cannot say at a basketball game and have one escorted out of an arena by police despite not having done anything illegal or against any rule?

About this blog

David Scott has been with the Observer for 28 years and has written about ACC, SEC and other college sports in the Charlotte region. He covers Wake Forest, South Carolina and college soccer for the Observer and (Raleigh) News & Observer.

J.P. Giglio covers the ACC for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1997, and the Observer.

Andrew Carter covers the North Carolina Tar Heels for the Observer and News & Observer.

Laura Keeley covers the Duke Blue Devils for the Observer and News & Observer. Follow her on Twitter.

Chip Alexander covers the Carolina Hurricanes and college football for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1979, and the Observer.

Luke DeCock has worked for The News & Observer since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist for the Observer and News & Observer in August 2008.

Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining the sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.